Stop Playing in the Puddles

Stop playing in the puddles!Storms come. They are inevitable. There isn’t a choice. Sometimes it can get pretty bad. Sometimes you wonder about the probabilities of survival. Sometimes there is a lot of damage. But storms eventually cease. Eventually there will be sunshine again. The sunshine was unfathomable before, but it quickly becomes a welcome change. That is what Gospel change is about! Jesus brings life where there was once death.How many of us are guilty of remaining in destruction? How many of us wallow in a puddle of self-destructive tendencies? The storm has passed. The sun is out. All that remains of the storm is the puddles that it has left behind. How many of us choose to sit in the puddle instead of rejoicing that the storm is over and move confidently to our sunny destination? How many of us choose to remain in filth, unhealth, and depression after Jesus has calmed the storm in your life? How many of us have memories of our storms that are bigger in our heart and minds than the present goodness of Jesus Christ?Stop playing in the puddles!Pastor Doug closed out our Storm Stories series this past Sunday, and he encouraged us to MOVE ON! It is hard to move on sometimes. There are real damages and real injuries that occur during life's storms. However, we serve a God who heals, strengthens, and equips. It is clearly the will of God for us to move on and He has made it possible for us to do so. So why do we choose to play in a puddle when God has called us to sunny, dry grass? Why are we so distracted by past hurt that we ignore present healing? Is it possible that we at that moment don’t believe the Gospel?Stop playing in the puddles!Pastor Doug’s last point is clear, our mess becomes His message. Jesus came to bring order to chaos. He came to healing to the sick. He came to give comfort to the hurting. He came to give life to the dead. Our mess in our hands only becomes a more manipulated mess. Our mess in Christ’s hands becomes a testimony of His goodness and grace. So what is in your hands?My life is best lived when I remove my hands from the things that God does best. So when I am in the storm, I trust in God to be my anchor and shelter. When the storm has passed, I trust in God to bring healing and lead me to safe pasture. In all of these things my heart and mind remain on His goodness and grace. We believe in Good News! We believe in Jesus Christ!Stay out of the puddles!Enjoy the sunshine!